By talking to Geoff Green at Mary’s, I learned it’s also being used at places like Slanted Door, Wayfare Tavern, El Paseo, Michael Mina, AQ, Tipsy Pig, Meadoowood, Solage and Kitchen Door. And the list goes on.

It’s produced by Pitman Family Farms in Sanger, near Fresno. It’s not a new business, but it has a fascinating history. The family has been producing turkeys since 1954. However, raising turkeys wasn’t profitable and they were struggling. When Mary and Rick Pitman’s son, David, was a student at Cal Poly in the late 1990s he began to raise chickens, according to Mary in a telephone interview.

Then about that time, their processing plant decided to raise its own birds and the Pitmans were forced to find another one. They decided to do it themselves and increase production. The chickens gave them a year-round, stable business. They also began raising ducks and geese, and since 1998 they’ve gone from 15 employees to more than 500 today according to Mary Pitman.

The birds made their way to Northern California around 2009. A year ago they were introduced into the Whole Foods in Northern California and now all the California stores use this chicken to sell raw through the meat case or cooked in the prepared food sections.

In the October issue of Cook’s Illustrated, Mary’s came out on top in a test test with 20 other birds.

What makes them different? The chickens truly are free range and they are loaded in the temperature controlled trailers and moved every three days so they have plenty of fresh grazing area. Instead of the typical three weeks before processing, these chickens graze for six weeks, according to Mary. This produces larger thighs and smaller breast than the standard chicken sold in supermarkets.

During processing, instead of being chilled in a water bath, that’s filled with chlorine that can flavor the meat, the birds are individually hung up and air chilled. These chickens are less likely to carry bacteria such as salmonella, and the air chilling helps to intensify the natural flavor.

The chicken is also available at Molly Mollie Stone’s, Andronico’s, Bristol Farms and other retailers.